Collecting taxes on illegal drugs in Mississippi, as proposed, would send the wrong message to our children ("Budget talks going down to the wire," March 26). I think it cheapens Mississippi, her people, and everything that we have traditionally stood for.

We are a proud, hard-working group of people known for getting whatever we have the honest way. As a state, we should not want to be associated with the taxing of illegal drugs in any way.

The media boast how taxing has worked in other states, but I was surprised that all the local media outlets failed to mentioned that the taxing of illegal drugs was discontinued in Texas after it foiled the conviction of a drug dealer.

In a 1996 case (Mark Stennet vs. State) the Texas Court Of Criminal Appeals ruled 5-4 that prosecuting drug dealers and imposing punitive taxes on their confiscated drugs violates the constitutional ban against double jeopardy. The conviction was overturned.

Cornelius Amos

Morton

[end]